Yesterday the American Legion adopted a resolution that will urge the federal government to permit the Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to discuss and prescribe medical marijuana in the states where the drug is it’s legal.
The resolution was passed during the group’s national convention that was held in Reno, Nevada. The resolution was authored by the American Legion member Rob Ryan of Blue Ash, Ohio. According to a report released by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ohio happens to have the fourth highest rate of overdose deaths in the whole country, after West Virginia, New Hampshire and Kentucky. Ohio is also one of the 29 states that have made it legal to use cannabis for medical purposes.
The American Legion boasts of approximately 2 million veterans nationwide. When President Donald Trump spoke last Wednesday at the convention, he called the group as an organization that is very powerful.
The American Legion first demonstrated its support of medical marijuana last summer, when it decided to put its weight behind an effort to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule I drugs to allow for more research. Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD and Ecstasy, and are designated as having no medical use. Apart from that, the organization has requested an audience with the President so as to request to change his current administration’s policy on cannabis. Previous attempts in the past that were made to lift that prohibition have failed in Congress.
Army veteran Donna Stacey, who is the state commander of the Alabama American Legion, commented that she was curious to know more about the medical use of marijuana because of this new resolution. As a leader in her state, Stacey will be expected to discuss with her fellow congressmen about the American Legion’s priorities, which include the medical marijuana. Recreational use of marijuana was made legal in Nevada on the 1st of July, however Alabama doesn’t permit any form of marijuana use. Stacey’s husband, Wayne — who is also an Army veteran and an American Legion member accompanied her during the tour.
